The Chicago Blackhawks just can’t seem to catch a break—five straight losses and counting. Just when it looked like they might turn things around against the Seattle Kraken, the game slipped right through their fingers. Despite jumping out to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi, the Blackhawks couldn’t hold back the Kraken’s relentless attack. Seattle responded with six unanswered goals, led by Shane Wright’s two-goal performance, while Adam Larsson contributed a goal and two assists. Matty Beniers also had a standout night with a goal and an assist, helping Seattle improve to 3-0-1 in their last four games.
Spencer Knight made 24 saves for Chicago, but he was out-dueled by Joey Daccord, who stopped 27 shots to secure the win for the Kraken. With emotions already running high, Chicago’s head coach wasn’t shy about calling out the referees for what he saw as questionable in-game decisions and—according to him—a potential goal opportunity slipping away in the chaos. At this point, every call feels like it could make or break their season, and the frustration is showing.
Chicago Blackhawks’ coach makes an honest confession!
Ben Pope, the Chicago Blackhawks beat reporter for The Sun-Times, dropped a clip on X that had fans doing a double take. The scoreboard showed Chicago up 2-1, momentum swinging their way, but then—pure chaos. As the Blackhawks swarmed the net, hoping to bury the puck, the ref somehow ended up smack dab in the middle of the action, right in a player’s line of sight. Talk about an unexpected obstacle!
Nick Foligno was upset about referee Pierre Lambert getting on top of the net on this play, blocking the overhead camera view of the puck going in the net.
Anders Sorensen said the bench was confused, too, because Lambert asked if they wanted to challenge it, but it wasn’t a… https://t.co/FldscovBQG
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 19, 2025
Nick Foligno wasn’t having it, and Pope spilled the details: “Nick Foligno was upset about referee Pierre Lambert getting on top of the net on this play, blocking the overhead camera view of the puck going in the net. Anders Sorensen said the bench was confused, too, because Lambert asked if they wanted to challenge it, but it wasn’t a challengeable play. ‘By the rules, if we had tried to challenge it, we would’ve gotten a misconduct right away.’” Basically, the Blackhawks were caught in a no-win situation, and the frustration was real.
And honestly, who wouldn’t be frustrated? Five straight losses? That’s a tough pill to swallow. Before this latest heartbreak, the Blackhawks had already taken some heavy hits. On March 15, Elias Pettersson, Conor Garland, and Pius Suter each lit up the scoreboard as the Vancouver Canucks steamrolled Chicago 6-2. Just two days before that, Collin Graf and Will Smith led the San Jose Sharks to a 4-2 win, adding another “L” to Chicago’s growing pile. And let’s not forget those back-to-back defeats against the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche. But here’s the kicker—this whole referee drama? Yeah, it’s not even the first time Chicago Blackhawks has had a bone to pick with officiating.
Another game, similar drama!
A few days ago you could feel the electricity in the air before puck drop at SAP Center. The anticipation was real—Connor Bedard vs. Macklin Celebrini, a battle between two No. 1 NHL Draft picks, setting the stage for a showdown fans had been waiting for. But what should’ve been an epic clash took a sharp turn, and not just because of the broadcasting hiccups. A controversial penalty call flipped the script, sending fans into a frenzy and turning the game into another chapter of NHL referee drama. So, what exactly went down?
With 9:10 left in the third, and the Sharks holding onto their lead thanks to Tyler Toffoli’s early open-net goal, Bedard suddenly found himself slapped with a 10-minute misconduct for “abuse of officials.” Just like that, Chicago’s biggest weapon was sidelined for the rest of the game, leaving the Blackhawks scrambling. And the wildest part? No one really knows why he got the call. Chirping is just part of hockey, right? Even the refs exchange a few words now and then. But this time, the whistle came down hard on the 19-year-old, and just like that, the Hawks’ chance at a comeback evaporated in a 4-2 loss. Naturally, social media went off.
Even NHL insiders were scratching their heads. Senior writer Mark Lazerus pointed out the lack of transparency, saying, “Tonight’s a good example of why referees should be made available to reporters.” But the NHL isn’t budging. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly once made it clear—there’s no plan to change the rules around ref accountability. And speaking of accountability, this call came from none other than Chris Rooney, a seasoned ref who’s officiated multiple Stanley Cup Finals and recently hit the 1,500-game milestone. Maybe that’s exactly why he wasn’t having Bedard’s chirps. But Bedard? He took it like a pro, simply saying, “I don’t think it was too crazy, but he’s the ref, so he gets to make that call.” Even his coach, Anders Sorensen, had his back, saying, “I’ve heard worse.” Guess that’s just another day in the wild world of NHL officiating.
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